This application claims priority to JP 2013-214087 filed in Japan on Oct. 11, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to an electrical connection box that mounts to a vehicle or the like, and in particular relates to an electrical connection box in which a first case and a second case are assembled by a lock structure as opening parts of each of the first case and a second case are mated together.
Conventionally, in a vehicle or the like, an electrical connection box such as a junction box or a relay box is used. For example, such structure is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-92766. With the electrical connection box disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-92766, a lower cover as a first case and a main body case as a second case are assembled to each other by mating the opening parts of each.
A first case and a second case, like a lower cover and a main body case of an electrical connection box, are assembled to each other using a lock structure. Conventionally, as also disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-92766, a form widely used for this kind of lock structure has been a lock frame in the form of a frame extending at an outer surface of a peripheral wall of the first case, the lock frame engaging a latch protrusion extending at an outer surface of a peripheral wall of the second case.
However, with the electrical connection box as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-92766, when assembling the second case to the first case, before locking the lock structure it was necessary to first mate the opening parts of each across an entire periphery. Accordingly, the assembly required time and labor.
On the other hand, with the first case and the second case in an assembled state, the lock structure would close over a peripheral wall of the second case between the lock frame and a peripheral wall of the first case, and would lock with the lock frame covering a peripheral wall of the second case from an outer surface. Therefore, releasing the lock was problematic in that it was necessary to expand the lock frame outward, but due to there being nearly no space between the lock frame and the peripheral wall of the second case, a tool or the like was needed to pry open the lock frame, and releasing the lock therefore required time and labor.